Forum From the Archives: Comedian Jamie Loftus on Why America Loves Hot Dogs

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KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 4 July 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In her new book, “Raw Dog: The Naked Truth about Hot Dogs,” author and comedian Jamie Loftus dials in on why America loves the hot dog: “They’re high culture, they’re low culture, they’re sports food and they’re hangover food and they’re deeply American for reasons that few people can explain but everyone has been told their entire lives.” Loftus chronicles her cross-country journey eating some of the country’s most famous hot dogs like JJ Red Hots in North Carolina, Nathan’s Famous in New York, and Ben’s Chili Bowl in D.C. Along the way, she also delves into the history of the hot dog and devotes an entire chapter to how a hot dog is made. In her words, a hot dog is “garbage being repurposed as mass-appeal food.” While light-hearted, Loftus offers a steely look at the meatpacking and food services industry. We’ll talk to Loftus and hear from you: How do you feel about hot dogs? This segment originally aired June 2, 2023 Guests: Jamie Loftus, author, "Raw Dog: The Naked Truth about Hot Dogs"; Emmy-nominated TV writer; podcast host, “My Year In Mensa” and "Bechdel Cast" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for Key QBD Podcasts comes from San Francisco International Airport.
0:05.1	At SFO, you can shop, dine, and unwind before your flight.
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0:32.2	From KQED.
0:34.6	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
0:41.8	The hot dog.
0:44.8	Yes, it is a melange of meats packed together and pressed into a bun for safe eating.
0:50.7	But as comedian Jamie Loftus writes in her new travelogue come cultural history, raw dog,
0:56.3	the hot dog is also so much more. Their high culture, their low culture, their sports food,
1:01.2	and their hangover food, writes Loftus, and they're deeply American for reasons that few people
1:05.5	can explain, but everyone has been told their entire lives. We'll spend the hour with Jamie
1:10.5	Laftus talking about the history of the hot dog,
1:12.7	which is filled with lies, as well as considering how the sausage actually gets made.
1:17.3	She says, the hot dog, my hot dog, is the delicious and inevitable product
1:21.7	of centuries of violence, poverty, ambition.
1:25.1	Hot dogs in America, coming up next after this news.
	...

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